Slide assembly for machine tools



Feb. 1o, 194s.

M. J. scHLlTTERs SLIDE ASSEMBLY FOR MACHINE TooLs Filed June 24, 1944 2Sheets-Sheet 1 34' Gttorneg M. J. scHLlTTERs SLIDE 4ASSEMBLY FOR MACHINETOOLS Feb. l0, 1948.

' 1 Filed June 24, 1944' 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2' mmm N ,s om

n /////7///////7/////////////////// mm n w\ Bil Patented Feb. 10, 1948UNITED STATES SLIDEASVSEMBLY FOR Michael l; Schlitten,

S-fGlaims:

r This invent-ionA relates to'y machines tool slide assemblies;vparticularly-screw machine slide yas semblies.

Thel slides of-screw'machinesv are required to==` carry many differenttypes1 offtoolsandto veryy accurately' guide such tools intheirrapproach; toand retraction fromthe work and in their cut-'-tingoperations. Frequently heavy stresses-'areV imposedon saidslidesinthecourse of their travel;

the direction of such-stresses varying considerably i'ndifferent tool`operations;l Consequently such slidesl andv their-guides are: subjecttocone siderable wear and it is necessary from time toy time to compensatefor wear tu avoidfrocking orfswaying of the tools" or otherdeviation-fromm# curate rectilinear travel. It is vtoibe noted inftliiszconnection that aslight lateral playm of a slide in its guideways isoften considerably multiplied" atthe cutting edgeo theM tool;

Objects ofthe-inventionarerrtomaterially in'- crease'theextent-'of theslidebearing surfaces as compared to prior practice; to adapt suchsurfaces to adequately resist stresses acting at any angle to slidetravel; toI provide -a 'considerably greater range of adjustment for.wear than` has heretofore been available, andstillafford a quite neadjustment at all times; and to eliminate play inl either or both oftwoftransverse directions by' a single adjustment. Y

Thesellandxvarious other objects-- are attained by the constructionyhereinafter described and illustratedzinrthe. accompanying: drawings,where'- in: v

liig. lgisaaftlopA plan view. of the-improvedslide and. its mounting. i

Fig. aside. elevational view'otfthe sam-eg,l

Fig. 3 islia. rear end-viewiof thevslidef-anditsq mountingv f Fig.Iris-1a. cross. section-al view of samej taken on the line-L-A ofFig. 1. Y

Fig. 5 is -a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig.3, and'showing a fully retracted position of a sliding:wear-compensatingcrtsseroimemrkrnueh..

Applcati'onJime 24; 1944, Serial` No.. 541,892

said tonfaces; andi planewfacesiiextending trom;

the fafcesgl tri-theV slide bottom an outwardE inclination',th'ef-I-aces t" and i 5Jl thus j ointly being" ing theslideiisapair-oropposed guide rails 6v and:

S21-fully engaging i theeslideefaeesf 3f, partially engaging the faces*andhawing faceslfspaced vfromA 8 formed at their thicker ends withupwardiy'projectingff lugs- Se apertured "toL accommodate studs n; Il)set adjustably' into the@ adjacent" rail" ends...

Said` gibsf may-be considered; as4 adjustable ele;-

ments ofthe raiis, since they are-heldiby the rails;

andt contribute to thefrailf functions'. Ther studs,il0"rigfy'carly'fcllars"l lforn abutting the lugs miv Sandurthercarry-nuts |-2 for'loekingzthe lugs1 againstcolla-rsi` whereby4 any"adllStment is accurately-mairitalned4 The topf l"portionsl"of therailscomprise; seating; members4 ii and?y f3a extending the fullrail'yMfingths-aird outwardiy'iprojectingjtoseat on theupstandingwalls rland-V Hu voi a channeleshaped" supper-tf" lfiincorporatedi inwthe frameof a screw machinejorother machinetooi'.' The lower por` tion-of-theslide occupies the channelofsaidjsup-v 30: p`ort,; having however "atslightupwardclearance fromY thesupportf Rowsjoheadedi studs |'6 nor?mallyclampthe'railsjiandfacrigidly to thewalls I lfan'd Mafandithe'studireceiving., openings I] of' at least Vone ofitherails; as6a.. hailingvaslig'ntI as; elongation transverse to. therainwliereby thelat'- `terfrmatybeadjustedslightlyto and from. the s1ide, Tofacilit'atecsucl'i" adjumentgit is preferred to.

mount a pluralityorstudsl' transversely in ,the

wali H: their'iends.bearingion the railia and;

wepermitting 'its-accurate positioningwhen the studs "i6 have beenloosened.

The descnbeamnsnuctiori permits' mainte..

nance of an .accurate guidanceV ofthe slide which. guidance; asheretofore stated',` is vital to its use.

45 When the lateral or vertical play of the slide becomes objectionable,the operator loosens the` lock nut I2 and then forces the gibs 8inwardly by turning the studs I0 untilsuch play is fullyv eliminated.The very gradual taper of the gibs,` 50 permits an essential nicety ofadjustment, affordf ing free travel of the slide but no deviation from astraight line movement. The increased insertion of the gibs takes up anyplay of the bearing surfaces 3 and 5, the convergency of these faces I5being such that their engagement by the rail and thefslid'efaces 5 andconverginggradually--towardf` 10a` the `lastmerrtivzrned`4` faces from'end to endof the' rails Fittedibe'tfween and con-forming to thegslidef"faces 5 and rail faces 1 is a pairioftapered gibs:

gib eliminates both vertical and lateral play of the slide, When, by asuccession of adjustments, the gibs have been inserted as far aspermitted by the collars Il, the studs I are screwed out a properdistance correspondingly retracting the gibs. 'Ihe operator now loosensthe clamping studs l 6 and by means of the studs I8 adjusts the rail 6ainwardly until the gibs are fully engaged without applying unduepressure to the slide. The rail having been clamped in this vnewposition, the gibs may be again used as before for asuccession of fineadjustments. The available number of repetitive full adjustment strokesof the gibs is thus limited only by the amount of lateralelongation ofthe apertures l1 and this elongation may be sufficient for the maximumuseful life of the slide.

Reference has so far been made only to' wearA occurring between thesurfaces 3 and 5 of the slide and the opposing surfaces of the rails andgibs, Wear will also occur between the slide faces 4 and opposingsurfaces each jointly formed by a rail and gib. Such wear will notbetaken up through inward adjustment of the gibs, but is fully taken upeach time the rail lia`v is adjusted inwardly following a retraction ofthegibs,

Improvement is made over prior constructions inthe large amount ofaggregate wear for which compensation is provided, in theextensivesurfaces on which the wear is distributedand also ilthe easeand aQCUIBCY Whi-chsuch com'- y pensation is made.

.Whairclaimis 1'. In a slide 'assemblyrfor machine tools, the

combination with a,V slide having opposite side faces and formed withrecesses extending toward each other from said .side faces, each recesshaving a top face substantially parallel to the top face of the slideanda bottom face convergent toward said top face, 'of a pair of guiderails for the slide tted in said recesses 'and engaging said top facesof the recesses tozsupport the slide, at least one of said rails havingafaee spaced from and gradually converged toward the bottom face ofthecorrespondingrecess, such rail comprising a"tapered gib insertedVbetween and engaging said converged face's'of such rail and thecorrespond-- ing recess, means connecting the gib to its rail forincreasingly inserting the gib between lits rail and the slide tocompensate for wear, a support on` which both rails are mounted,meansfor securing' the rails to such support, and 'means for adjustingone ofsaid' rails toward the other rail to an extent materially'exceeding the wear adjust# ment effected by the gib; f

'2. In a slide assembly for machine tools, Athe combination with a slidehaving kopposite side faces and formed with recesses extending towardeach other from said side faces, each recess having atop facesubstantially parallel to the top face of the slide and a bottom faceconvergent toward said top face, of a pair of guide rails for the slidefitted in said recesses and engaging said top faces ofthe recesses tosupport the slide, at least one of f openings to accommodate thecorresponding clamping connections, affording an inward adjustment ofsuch rail materially exceeding the wear adjustment effected by the gib.

' 3. In a slide assembly for machine tools as set forth in claim 2, aplurality of adjustment screws threaded'in said support and terminallybearing on the'rail having oversized openings, to effect an accurateinward adjustment of such rail.

4. InY a slide assembly for machine tools, the combination with a slideand a pair of guide rails between which the slide reeiprocates, avtapered gib inserted between the slide and one of said rail-s', meansconnecting such gib to the adjoined rail for increasingly inserting thegib between such rail and the slide to compensate for wear, and meansfor adjusting one. of said rails toward the other rail to an extentmaterially exceeding the wear adjustment effected by the gib,

, 5. In a slide assembly for machine tools, the` combination with aslide and a pair of guide rails between which the slide reciprocates, atapered gib inserted between the slide and one of said rails, means forincreasingly inserting the gib between such rail and the slide andholding it se lectively inserted to compensate for Wear, and means foradjusting one of said rails toward the other rail to an extentmaterially exceeding the wear adjustment effected by the gib.

MICHAEL J SCHLIT'IERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

y UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 206,648 Tucker July 30, 1878555,372 Hall Feb. 25, 1896 999,662 Lane et al Aug. 1, 1911 1,485,016Cardullo et al. Feb. 26, 1924 1,817,083 Kearney et al Aug. 4, 19311,949,854 Hatch May 22, 1934 2,062,991 Gartin Dec. 1, 1936 2,182,019Eisele Dec, 5, 1939 2,195,841 j Schlitters Apr'. 2, A1940 2,289,874Curtis July 14, 1942 2,321,741 Flowers June 15, 1943 2,340,450 BouschorFeb. l, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date Great Britain Mar. 25,192e

